S. Hedwigis Viduæ

℣ O Lord, ✠ open my lips.

℟ And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

℣ O God, ✠ come to my assistance.

℟ Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Alleluia.

Ant. Let us praise our God * in praise of blessed Hedwig.

Ant. Let us praise our God * in praise of blessed Hedwig.

Come, let us exult in the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to God, our Savior. Let us anticipate his presence with confession, and let us sing joyfully to him with psalms.

Ant. Let us praise our God * in praise of blessed Hedwig.

For the Lord is a great God and a great King over all gods. For the Lord will not drive away his people. For in his hand are all the limits of the earth, and he beholds the heights of the mountains.

Ant. in praise of blessed Hedwig.

For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands established the dry land. (kneel) Come, let us adore and fall prostrate before God, and let us weep before the Lord who made us. For he is the Lord our God, and we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Ant. Let us praise our God * in praise of blessed Hedwig.

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts: as in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness, where your fathers tempted me; they tested and saw my works.

Ant. in praise of blessed Hedwig.

For forty years, I was near to that generation, and I said: These have always strayed in heart. But they have not known my ways. To them I swore in my wrath: They shall not enter into my rest.

Ant. Let us praise our God * in praise of blessed Hedwig.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. in praise of blessed Hedwig.

Ant. Let us praise our God * in praise of blessed Hedwig.

Fountain of mercy, hear the prayers she offers;

Purge our offences, pardon our transgressions,

So that hereafter we to thee may render

Praise with thanksgiving.

Thou, the All-Father, thou, the One-Begotten,

Thou, Holy Spirit, Three in One co-equal,

Glory be henceforth thine through all the ages,

World without ending.

Amen.

At the Nocturn

Ant. The Lord raised up * a testimony in Jacob: and appointed a law in Israel.

Psalm 77(1-8) [1]

77:1 O my people, attend to my law. * Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

77:2 I will open my mouth in parables. * I will speak about concepts that are from the beginning.

77:3 We have heard and known such great things, * as our fathers have described to us.

77:4 These things have not been hidden from their sons * in the next generation:

77:4 declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, * and the wonders that he has done.

77:5 And he established a testimony in Jacob, * and he has set a law within Israel.

77:5 Such great things, he has commanded our fathers, so as to make these things known to their sons, * so that another generation might know them,

77:6 and so that the sons, who will be born and who will grow up, * shall describe them to their sons.

77:7 So then, may they put their hope in God, and may they not forget the works of God, * and may they seek his commandments.

77:8 May they not become like their fathers, * a perverse and exasperating generation:

77:8 a generation that does not straighten their heart * and whose spirit is not trustworthy with God.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord raised up a testimony in Jacob: and appointed a law in Israel.

Ant. Before their fathers * God worked wonders.

Psalm 77(9-16) [2]

77:9 The sons of Ephraim, who bend and shoot the bow, * have been turned back in the day of battle.

77:10 They have not kept the covenant of God. * And they were not willing to walk in his law.

77:11 And they have been forgetful of his benefits, * and of his miracle, which he revealed to them.

77:12 He performed miracles in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, * in the field of Tanis.

77:13 He broke the sea and he led them through. * And he stationed the waters, as if in a vessel.

77:14 And he led them with a cloud by day, * and with illumination by fire throughout the night.

77:15 He broke through the rock in the wasteland, * and he gave them to drink, as if from the great abyss.

77:16 He brought forth water from the rock, * and he conducted the waters, as if they were rivers.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. Before their fathers God worked wonders.

Ant. The Lord opened * the gates of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat.

Psalm 77(17-31) [3]

77:17 And yet, they continued to sin against him. * In a waterless place, they provoked the Most High with resentment.

77:18 And they tempted God in their hearts, * by asking for food according to their desires.

77:19 And they spoke badly about God. * They said, “Would God be able to prepare a table in the desert?

77:20 He struck the rock, and so waters flowed * and the torrents flooded,

77:20 but would even he be able to provide bread, * or provide a table, for his people?”

77:21 Therefore, the Lord heard, and he was angry, * and a fire was kindled within Jacob, and an anger ascended into Israel.

77:22 For they neither put their trust in God, * nor did they hope in his salvation.

77:23 And he commanded the clouds from above, * and he opened the doors of heaven.

77:24 And he rained down manna upon them to eat, * and he gave them the bread of heaven.

77:25 Man ate the bread of Angels. * He sent them provisions in abundance.

77:26 He transferred the south wind from heaven, * and, by his power, he brought in the Southwest wind.

77:27 And he rained down flesh upon them, as if it were dust, * and feathered birds, as if they were the sand of the sea.

77:28 And they fell down in the midst of their camp, * encircling their tabernacles.

77:29 And they ate until they were greatly satisfied, and he brought to them according to their desires. * They were not cheated out of what they wanted.

77:30 Their food was still in their mouth, * and then the wrath of God came upon them.

77:31 And he slew the fat ones among them, * and he impeded the elect of Israel.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord opened the gates of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat.

Ant. God * is their helper: and the Most High is their redeemer.

Psalm 77(32-41) [4]

77:32 In all these things, they continued to sin, * and they did not believe in his wonders.

77:33 And their days faded away into vanity, * and their years with haste.

77:34 When he slew them, then they sought him. * And they returned, and they drew near to him in the early morning.

77:35 And they were mindful that God is their helper * and that the Most High God is their redeemer.

77:36 And they loved him with their mouth, * and then they lied to him with their tongue.

77:37 For their heart was not upright with him, * nor have they been living faithfully in his covenant.

77:38 Yet he is merciful, and he will pardon their sins. * And he will not destroy them.

77:38 And he has abundantly turned aside his own wrath. * And he did not enflame his wrath entirely.

77:39 And he remembered that they are flesh: * with a spirit that goes forth and does not return.

77:40 How often did they provoke him in the desert * and stir him to wrath in a waterless place?

77:41 And they turned back and tempted God, * and they exasperated the Holy One of Israel.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. God is their helper: and the Most High is their redeemer.

Ant. The Lord * redeemed them from the hand of the one who afflicted them.

Psalm 77(42-58) [5]

77:42 They did not remember his hand, * in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of the one troubling them.

77:43 Thus, he positioned his signs in Egypt * and his wonders in the field of Tanis.

77:44 And he turned their rivers into blood, * along with their rain showers, so that they could not drink.

77:45 He sent among them the common fly, and it devoured them, * and the frog, and it scattered them.

77:46 And he gave up their fruits to mold * and their labors to the locust.

77:47 And he slew their vineyards with hail * and their mulberry trees with severe frost.

77:48 And he delivered their cattle to the hail * and their possessions to fire.

77:49 And he sent the wrath of his indignation among them: * indignation and wrath and tribulation, sent forth by evil angels.

77:50 He made way for the path of his anger. He did not spare their souls from death. * And he enclosed their beasts of burden in death.

77:51 And he struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt: * the first-fruits of all their labor in the tabernacles of Ham.

77:52 And he took away his own people like sheep, * and he led them through the wilderness like a flock.

77:53 And he led them out in hope, and they did not fear. * And the sea covered their enemies.

77:54 And he led them to the mountain of his sanctification: * the mountain that his right hand had acquired.

77:54 And he cast out the Gentiles before their face. * And he divided their land by lot to them, with a line of distribution.

77:55 And he caused them to dwell in their tabernacles: * the tribes of Israel.

77:56 Yet they tempted and aggravated God Most High, * and they did not keep his testaments.

77:57 And they turned themselves aside, and they did not serve the covenant. * In the same manner as their fathers, they were turned backwards, like a crooked bow.

77:58 They impelled him to anger on their hills, * and they provoked him to rivalry with their graven images.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. The Lord redeemed them from the hand of the one who afflicted them.

Ant. God * built his sanctuary on earth.

Psalm 77(59-72) [6]

77:59 God listened, and he spurned them, * and he reduced Israel greatly, almost to nothing.

77:60 And he rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, * his tabernacle where he had dwelt among men.

77:61 And he delivered their strength into captivity, * and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.

77:62 And he enclosed his people with the sword, * and he spurned his inheritance.

77:63 Fire consumed their young men, * and their virgins were not lamented.

77:64 Their priests fell by the sword, * and their widows were not mourned.

77:65 And the Lord was awakened, as if out of sleep, * and like a powerful man impaired by wine.

77:66 And he struck his enemies on the back. * He gave them over to everlasting disgrace.

77:67 And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph, * and he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.

77:68 But he chose the tribe of Judah: * mount Zion, which he loved.

77:69 And he built up his sanctuary, like a single-horned beast, in the land * that he founded for all ages.

77:70 And he chose his servant David, and he took him from the flocks of the sheep: * he received him from following the ewes with their young,

77:71 in order to pasture Jacob his servant * and Israel his inheritance.

77:72 And he fed them with the innocence of his heart. * And he led them with the understanding of his hands.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. God built his sanctuary on earth.

Ant. Help us, * O God, our salvation: and be gracious toward our sins.

Psalm 78 [7]

78:1 O God, the Gentiles have entered into your inheritance; they have polluted your holy temple. * They have set Jerusalem as a place to tend fruit trees.

78:2 They have placed the dead bodies of your servants as food for the birds of the sky, * the flesh of your saints for the beasts of the earth.

78:3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, * and there was no one who would bury them.

78:4 We have become a disgrace to our neighbors, * an object of ridicule and mockery to those who are around us.

78:5 How long, O Lord? Will you be angry until the end? * Will your zeal be kindled like a fire?

78:6 Pour out your wrath among the Gentiles, who have not known you, * and upon the kingdoms that have not invoked your name.

78:7 For they have devoured Jacob, * and they have desolated his place.

78:8 Do not remember our iniquities of the past. May your mercies quickly intercept us, * for we have become exceedingly poor.

78:9 Help us, O God, our Savior. And free us, Lord, for the glory of your name. * And forgive us our sins for the sake of your name.

78:10 Let them not say among the Gentiles, “Where is their God?” * And may there be known among the nations before our eyes,

78:10 the retribution for your servants’ blood, which has been poured out. * may the groans of the shackled enter before you.

78:11 According to the greatness of your arm, * take possession of the sons of those who have been killed.

78:12 And repay our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom. * It is the reproach of the same ones who brought reproach against you, O Lord.

78:13 But we are your people and the sheep of your pasture: * we will give thanks to you in all ages.

78:13 From generation to generation, * we will announce your praise.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. Help us, O God, our salvation: and be gracious toward our sins.

Ant. I am the Lord * your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Psalm 80 [8]

80:2 Exult before God our helper. * Sing joyfully to the God of Jacob.

80:3 Take up a psalm, and bring forth the timbrel: * the pleasant psaltery with the harp.

80:4 Sound the trumpet at the new moon, * on the noteworthy day of your solemnity,

80:5 for it is a precept in Israel * and a judgment for the God of Jacob.

80:6 He set it as a testimony with Joseph, when he went out of the land of Egypt. * He heard a tongue that he did not know.

80:7 He turned the burdens away from his back. * His hands had been a slave to baskets.

80:8 You called upon me in tribulation, and I freed you. * I heard you within the hidden tempest. I tested you with waters of contradiction.

80:9 My people, listen and I will call you to testify. * If, O Israel, you will pay heed to me, then there will be no new god among you, nor will you adore a foreign god.

80:11 For I am the Lord your God, who led you out of the land of Egypt. * Widen your mouth, and I will fill it.

80:12 But my people did not hear my voice, * and Israel was not attentive to me.

80:13 And so, I sent them away, according to the desires of their heart. * They will go forth according to their own inventions.

80:14 If my people had heard me, * if Israel had walked in my ways,

80:15 I would have humbled their enemies, as if it were nothing, * and I would have sent my hand upon those who troubled them.

80:16 The enemies of the Lord have lied to him, * and their time will endure forever.

80:17 And he fed them from the fat of the grain, * and he saturated them with honey from the rock.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. I am the Lord your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Ant. Be not silent, O God, * for your enemies have lifted up their head.

Psalm 82 [9]

82:2 O God, who will ever be like you? * Do not be silent, and do not be unmoved, O God.

82:3 For behold, your enemies have sounded off, * and those who hate you have raised their heads.

82:4 They have acted with malice in counsel over your people, * and they have plotted against your holy ones.

82:5 They have said, “Come, let us scatter them from the nations * and not allow the name of Israel to be remembered any longer.”

82:6 For they plotted unanimously. * Joined together against you, they ordained a covenant: the tabernacle of Edomites and Ishmaelites,

82:8 and Moab and the Hagarites, and Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, * the foreigners with the inhabitants of Tyre.

82:9 For even Assur comes with them. * They have become the helpers of the sons of Lot.

82:10 Do to them as you did to Midian and Sisera, * just as to Jabin at the torrent of Kishon.

82:11 They perished at Endor, * and they became like the dung of the earth.

82:12 Set their leaders to be like Oreb and Zeeb, * and Zebah and Zalmunna:

82:13 all their leaders * who said, “Let us possess the Sanctuary of God for an inheritance.”

82:14 My God, set them like a wheel, * and like stubble before the face of the wind.

82:15 Like a fire burning up the forest, * and like a flame burning up the mountains.

82:16 So will you pursue them in your tempest, * and disturb them in your wrath.

82:17 Fill their faces with shame, * and they will seek your name, O Lord.

82:18 Let them be ashamed and troubled, from age to age, * and let them be confounded and perish.

82:19 And let them know that the Lord is your name. * You alone are the Most High in all the earth.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

Ant. Be not silent, O God, for your enemies have lifted up their head.

℣ Let them know that your name is Lord.

℟ You alone are the Most High over all the earth.

The Our Father is said silently as far as And lead us not into temptation:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread: and forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us:

℣ And lead us not into temptation:

℟ But deliver us from evil.

Absolution. May his loving kindness and mercy assist us, he who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May he bless us who lives and reigns without end.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 1

From the First Book of Maccabees

1 Mac 7:1; 7:4-7

1 In the one hundred and fifty-first year, Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, departed from the city of Rome, and he went up with a few men to a maritime city, and he reigned there.

4 And Demetrius sat upon the throne of his kingdom.

5 And there came to him iniquitous and impious men from Israel. And Alcimus was their leader, who wanted to be made a priest.

6 And they accused the people to the king, saying: ‘Judas and his brothers have destroyed all your friends, and he has scattered us from our land.’

7 Now, therefore, send a man, whom you trust, and let him go and see all the destruction he has done to us and to the regions of the king. And let him punish all his friends and their helpers.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Do not fear the assault of enemies: be mindful of how our fathers were saved:

* and now let us cry out to heaven and our God shall have mercy on us.

℣ Remember his wonders, which he did to Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea.

℟ and now let us cry out to heaven and our God shall have mercy on us.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May she whose feast we celebrate intercede for us to the Lord.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 2

1 Mac 7:8-11

8 And so the king chose, from among his friends, Bacchides, who ruled across the great river in the kingdom, and who was faithful to the king. And he sent him

9 To see the destruction that Judas had done. Moreover, he appointed the wicked Alcimus to the priesthood, and he commanded him to take revenge on the sons of Israel.

10 And they rose up and came forth with a great army into the land of Judah. And they sent messengers, who spoke to Judas and his brothers with words of peace, in deceitfulness.

11 But they did not heed their words, for they saw that they arrived with a great army.

1 Mac 7:12-17

12 Then there assembled to Alcimus and Bacchides, a congregation of scribes, to seek just terms.

13 And first, the Hasideans, who were among the sons of Israel, also sought peace from them.

14 For they said, 'A man who is a priest from the offspring of Aaron has arrived; he will not deceive us.'

15 And he spoke to them peaceful words, and he swore to them, saying, 'We will not carry out any evil against you or your friends.'

16 And they believed him. And he captured sixty of their men and killed them in one day, according to the word that is written:

17 The flesh of your saints, and their blood, they have poured out all around Jerusalem, and there was no one who would bury them.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℟ Yours is the power, yours the kingdom, O Lord: you are above all nations:

* Grant peace, O Lord, in our days.

℣ Creator of all things, God, terrible and strong, just and merciful.

℟ Grant peace, O Lord, in our days.

℣ Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Spirit.

℟ Grant peace, O Lord, in our days.

℣ Grant a blessing, O Lord.

Benediction. May the King of Angels lead us to the company of the citizens on high.

℟ Amen.

Lesson 3

Hedwig, illustrious by royal birth, the maternal aunt of Saint Elizabeth daughter of the King of Hungary, was given in marriage at twelve years of age to Henry, Duke of Poland, and reared the children born of that union in the fear of God. That she might be more free to devote herself to God, she persuaded her husband, by a mutual vow and unanimous consent, to separate from the marriage bed. After his death she herself received the Cistercian habit in the monastery of Trebnitz; and there, intent on contemplation, she took delight in attending the Divine Office and the solemn celebrations of Mass without fail. Flourishing in the most exalted virtues, most strict penance, gravity of counsel, and purity of soul, she became an outstanding example of religious devotion. It was habitual with her to subject herself freely to all, to undertake the most lowly tasks, to serve the poor on bended knee, to wash and kiss the feet of lepers. Her wonderful patience and constancy of soul shone out especially at the death of Henry, Duke of Silesia, her son slain in battle by the Tartars. Clement IV enrolled her among the Saints, renowned as she was for the glory of miracles, especially after her death.

℣ But you, O Lord, have mercy on us.

℟ Thanks be to God.

Te Deum

O God, we praise you; * O Lord, we acclaim you.

Eternal Father, * all the earth reveres you.

To you all the Angels, * the heavens and all the Powers of heaven:

To you the Cherubim and Seraphim * cry out in endless praise:

(A bow is made) Holy, Holy, Holy * Lord God of hosts;

Heaven and earth are filled * with the majesty of your glory.

The glorious choir of Apostles * sings to you,

the noble company of Prophets * praises you,

the white-robed army of Martyrs * glorifies you.

Holy Church throughout the earth * proclaims you,

the Father * of boundless majesty;

your true and only Son, * worthy of adoration;

and the Holy Spirit, * the Paraclete.

You, O Christ, * are the King of glory.

You are * the Father's everlasting Son.

(A bow is made) When you resolved to save the human race, * you did not spurn the Virgin's womb.

You overcame the sting of death * and opened the Kingdom of Heaven to those who put their faith in you.

You are seated at the right hand of God * in the glory of the Father.

We believe you are the Judge * who is to come.

(The following verse is said kneeling) And so we beg you, help your servants, * redeemed by your most precious blood.

Number them * among your Saints in eternal glory.

Save your people, Lord, * and bless your inheritance.

Shepherd them * and raise them to eternal life.

Day by day * we bless you,

(A bow is made, according to custom) and we praise your name * for endless ages evermore.

Be gracious, Lord, on this day, * and keep us from all sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, * have mercy.

May your mercy be upon us, Lord, * as we place our trust in you.

In you, O Lord, I rest my hope: * let me never be put to shame.

The rest is omitted unless Lauds is said separately.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

Let us pray.

O God, who taught blessed Hedwig to pass with her whole heart from the pomp of the world to the humble following of your Cross: grant that, by her merits and example, we may learn to tread underfoot the perishing pleasures of the world, and to overcome all adversities in the embrace of your Cross.

Who live and reign with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

℟ Amen.

℣ O Lord, hear my prayer.

℟ And let my cry come before you.

℣ Let us bless the Lord.

℟ Thanks be to God.

℣ May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

℟ Amen.